Geo Metro Engines

In the United States a single engine was available from 1989 through 1994: a 1.0 L I3 engine. Rated at only 55 hp (41 kW), the small Suzuki-designed engine was the most fuel efficient production engine used in a GM car to date, boasting well over 45 mpg (5.3 L/100 km) in models with manual transmissions. A detuned 49 hp unit was used in the ultra-fuel-efficient XFi model, which delivered as much as 58 miles per gallon. As the 3-cylinder engines aged however, they began to become less stable and subject to vibration as well as minor deficiencies in the fuel injection system that led to decreased fuel economy.

A flaw exists in Metro 3-cylinder engines equipped with an EGR valve – if the valve fails or the EGR passages become blocked, the center combustion chamber can get too hot, and over time, lose compression due to exhaust valve failure.

Customers who were surveyed stated that they wanted more power from their Metro as well as good fuel economy. In 1995, with the new Metro came a new engine: the 1.3 L I4. The new engine still had only a modest 70 hp (52 kW), but provided the extra power Metro owners wanted. That power came at the cost of some fuel efficiency, dropping the highway mileage down to around 35 mpg (6.8 L/100 km). The engine however, was not new. It was the same engine that had been in use in the Suzuki Swift (except for the GT models) for years. LSi models produced from 1995 on had the 4-cylinder engine, but the 3-cylinder was still the base power plant in the car, becoming an option for non-LSi models in 1997.

Canadian Metros had the 1.3 L engine available as an option beginning in 1993 in the 3-door GSi model, and as standard equipment in the sedan (exclusive to the Canadian market at the time: as noted in the previous paragraph, American market Metros were not available in a sedan bodystyle until 1995).

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My name is Alan Starnes. I own a Blue 1989 Geo Metro. Here is a picture - as you can see it's a very clean car. It's probably the best car ever made because it doesn't take much gas and it's a big hit with the ladies. Sometimes I'm not so sure if they meant it when they say, "Cool ride Alan!"...and yeah...I know there's a real good chance they're making fun of it, but I don't care.

If they are making fun of me, there's also a good chance that they're jealous. Maybe they're jealous because it gets 52 MPG on the highway while their crummy sport car only gets a lousy 20 MPG or something. Anyway, I wouldn't want a Camaro or Mustang or Jag-oo-ar (as the english say it). The insurance is way too high and you could never drive it as fast as it could go, because of the speed limit laws and all.

With my 1989 Geo Metro, I can drive it as fast as it will go. Lately it's been getting past the 85 MPH mark when I "open 'er up". That's the cool way of saying, I'm pushing the gas pedal to the floor board. When I first got the car, it couldn't go past 75, but now it's at 85. Maybe that's because the engine cylinders have opened up over time. At least that's what my dad used to say.

So here's my site: www.1989GeoMetro. A site dedicated to all the underprivileged "A to B" cars, or cars that get you from Point A to Point B - like my Geo Metro hatchback. It does the job without much fuss and I'm pretty much saving the planet because it doesn't use much gas.

Did I mention the girls get all hot and bothered when they see it roll by?